A young boy who accidentally broke a rare 3,500-year-old jar in an Israeli museum has been invited back by exhibition bosses to see how it will be repaired.
The jar, which dates back to the Bronze Age between 2,200 and 1500 BC, had been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years before the four-year-old knocked it over last week.
It was on display near the entrance to the museum without glass because museum administrators believe there is a ‘special charm’ in displaying archeological finds ‘without obstructions’.
Inbar Rivlin, the director of the museum, then invited the family back in an effort to use the restoration of the jar as an educational opportunity and make sure they feel welcome to return in the future.
The restoration will take several days because archeologists use special glue to connect just a few pieces at a time. The process will be documented for educational purposes.
A four-year-old boy who accidentally broke a rare 3,500-year-old jar on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa, Israel has been invited back to learn how archaeologists are repairing it
The boy, centre, is welcomed by Dr. Inbal Rivlin for a special tour on August 30, 2024 after he accidentally broke an ancient jar at the Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum in Haifa, Israel
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son – the youngest of three – is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash last Friday, ‘please let that not be my child’ was the first thought that raced through his head.
‘He’s not a kid that usually destroys things, he just wanted to see what was inside,’ said Mr Geller, who lives with his family live in the northern Israeli town of Nahariya, just a few kilometres south of the border with Lebanon.
The area that has come under Hezbollah rocket fire for more than 10 months in a conflict linked to the war in Gaza.
The family were spending the summer break visiting museums and taking day trips around Israel to escape the tensions, Mr Geller said.
Ms Rivlin said the jar was displayed at the museum entrance, and that the family quickly left without finishing their visit. She wanted to make sure they felt comfortable to return in the future.
A four-year-old boy, centre, and his parents Anna, right, and Alex, centre left, take part in a special tour at the museum on Friday, August 30, 2024
A young boy helps to glue a broken clay jar during a special tour with his family at the Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum in Haifa on Friday
The family is seen on the tour at the Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum in Haifa on Friday
The four-year-old is pictured during the end of a special tour after the child accidentally broke an ancient jar at the Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum in Haifa, Israel
There were a lot of children at the museum that day, Mr Geller said, recalling how he fervently prayed the damage had been caused by someone else.
When he turned around and saw it was his son, he was ‘in complete shock’.
‘My wife responded faster than me, she grabbed our son to take him outside and calm him down and explain that it was not OK what had happened,’ said Mr Geller.
He went over to the security guards to let them know what had happened in hopes that it was a model and not a real artifact.
‘We said, if we need to pay we will, whatever will be will be. But they called and said it was insured and after they checked the cameras and saw it wasn’t vandalism they invited us back for a make-up visit.’
Mr Geller said his son did not quite understand the international interest in the broken jar, but their tight-knit community in Nahariya was following the media reports with interest and was proud of their local celebrity.
Inbar Rivlin, the director of the museum, invited the family back in an effort to use the restoration of the jar as an educational opportunity and make sure they feel welcome to return in the future
The family is seen during their special tour at the museum, where they learned about the restoration process
The museum offered the family a special tour on Friday after a young boy broke a jar last week
The four-year-old yawns during the end of a special tour after the child accidentally broke an ancient jar at the Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum in Haifa, Israel
The Hecht Museum hopes to harness that interest to encourage more people to visit the museum and learn about artifact restoration.
Using 3D technology and high-resolution videos of the jar, experts plan to complete the restoration in a matter of days. It could be back on display as early as next week.
‘That’s what’s actually interesting for my older kids, this process of how they’re restoring it, and all the technology they’re using there,’ said Mr Geller.
The jar, which had been on display at the museum for 35 years, was one of the only containers of its size and period that was still complete when it was discovered. It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and it dates back to between 2200 and 1500 BC.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar.
The four-year-old boy poses for a portrait with his parents Anna, left, and Alex, right, after the family was invited for a special tour after he accidentally broke an ancient jar at the Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum in Haifa, Israel
Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Mr Shafir, who will painstakingly reassemble the jar – even though he says he hates puzzles – still wants to keep the artifacts accessible to the public, even if accidents happen.
He said it is important for visitors to touch artifacts because that connection can inspire a deeper interest in history and archaeology.
‘I like that people touch. Don’t break, but to touch things, it’s important,’ he said.